Favorite rust belt city

Cleveland

Detroit

Pittsburgh

Senior Member

Porter Airlines recently added Pittsburgh to its destinations, a city I have not been to.

For those with an interest in old rust belt cities (architecture, cultural amenities etc.), which is your favorite if you've been or are most interested in visiting if you haven't, between Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Active Member

Cleveland seems to have a thriving arts scene (museums, music etc.) which seems kind of neat. Don't have a strong impression of Pittsburgh as I've never been there before either.

Looking up Porter Airlines' destinations, I'm also surprised that Pittsburgh was chosen as a destination before many other US cities.
I can see Porter's American destinations correspond roughly to the range of big cities Canadians might have business ties to (Chicago, Boston, DC, Jersey), plus Canadians' favored vacation spots for beaches and summer (Florida, South Carolina) as well as skiing for Vermont.

Active Member

Looking at Pittsburgh's location on a map again and its proximity to (some even argue location within) Appalachia, including nearby West Virginia, I'm again reminded about how surprised I was when I first realized Southern Ontario's relatively short distance to what's considered the US South.

Senior Member

Looking at Pittsburgh's location on a map again and its proximity to (some even argue location within) Appalachia, including nearby West Virginia, I'm again reminded about how surprised I was when I first realized Southern Ontario's relatively short distance to what's considered the US South.

Senior Member

Looking at Pittsburgh's location on a map again and its proximity to (some even argue location within) Appalachia, including nearby West Virginia, I'm again reminded about how surprised I was when I first realized Southern Ontario's relatively short distance to what's considered the US South.

Active Member

Well, even though I didn't expect Pittsburgh to be that big of a place for tourist Canadians, it looks like this poll's results at least vindicate or agree with Porter's choice of adding it as a destination.

In Detroit's defence, the river is fascinating. You go about your daily life always looking into another country. Massive freighters sail right by the central business district, which makes the riverfront quite interesting. In Toronto, you won't see those kinds of ships unless you venture out into the Port Lands, which are isolated. Toronto has no bridge as impressive as the Ambassador Bridge. Metro Detroit also has Lake St. Clair, which looks like a Great Lake when you're standing on its shores.

Detroit has a certain character that's hard to find elsewhere. Its historic architecture is bold and sophisticated, it's known worldwide for its history and identity as America's Motor City, its musicians are world famous, it has unique foods, and its grit is so extreme that it attracts visitors for its ruins (for better or for worse). It's the most metropolitan of the cities in the poll. It feels like it could have been another Chicago or New York if its economy never stopped growing--a truly great American city whose downtown is intact and thriving today.

New Member

Pittsburgh seems to be revitalizing to a degree, where technology companies have been establishing offices and fostering startups in certain neighborhoods, but I still prefer Detroit. I love all of the automotive history there.